We had a great Engagement session down at the beach getting to know each other better.  I can tell you, there are always laughs around these two.  That’s what life’s all about…living each day and having an amazing time.

For the wedding day…oh the wedding day.  The rain forecast called for 100% rain that day.  Their cocktail hour/reception was supposed to be outdoorsy at Ponve Vedra Inn and Club.  Things were definiely a little stressful as they had to make the decision to pull things indoors.  BUT, it didn’t damper their spirits one bit.  We got ready at the PV Inn and headed to Our Lady Star of the Sea for the ceremony.  I’m going to have to tattle on the bridesmaids, they were THIRTY minutes late getting to the church.  If you’ve ever been to a catholic ceremony, you KNOW they like to start on time.   The lobby was a little tense that afternoon as everyone waited in anticipation as to when things were going to get started.  I love these little details of the day.  These are the details that can be irritating as you go through it…but it’s always funny to look back on and laugh.  PS – I loved the bridesmaids.  They were a BLAST!

The ceremony was beautiful and full of tears.  People always say, “I’m not going to cry…I’m not going to cry”.  And I always say, “Please cry!  It makes for better photos”.   Seriously!  I want emotions to run freely.  Who cares about makeup…soak up the moment and live in it.  And that they did. 

After the ceremony, we did some quick photos back at Ponte Vedra Inn and headed indoors to start the party.  So here’s one of my fav parts of the day.  The couple had a tv playing a slideshow on a loop.  Right before it was time for toasts, the band announces everyone to come over and watch the slideshow.  The screen pops up with skype, and Julie bursts in to tears.  It’s her brother who is serving our country in the military overseas.  He wasn’t going to be able to be home for the wedding so Jim surprised her with having her brother there with them…via the Internet.  Can I just say, her brother stayed there on skype for the ENTIRE wedding night.  He was dressed up, stood up at the computer, and danced away with them…the whole time. 

I think the last point I want to make is how amazing the band was.  They were awesome, and they had the place having a blast…the whole time.  Young and old, good dancers and bad…they were all out there.  By the end of the night, it was time for the exit so the band was trying to move all the guests outside for the bubbles.  The announced for people to head out about 15 times before they finally said “okay forget it”, turned on an ipod, hopped off stage, and started dancing with the all the guests.  No one was stopping the party that night…no one was ready to go home.  It was that awesome of a day.

Julie, I hope your wedding day was just as amazing as Jim hoped it would be for you.  I know it will go down in the books as one of my most memorable nights.  A perfect wedding day doesn’t mean you had the best thought of favors, most expensive flowers, or the perfect pair of shoes…a perfect wedding day is getting to celebrate an amazing love that you have for each other and being surrounded by family and friends who want to experience it with you.  And that’s exactly what you got…PLUS a great party. =)

Love you two! 
XOXO
T

 Their wedding day details: 
Rehearsal Dinner Location: Jacksonville Golf and Country CLub
Ceremony Location: Our Lady Star of the Sea Church
Reception Location: Ponte Vedra Inn and Club
Caterer: Ponte Vedra Inn and Club
Wedding Coordinator: Jessica Ross (excellent)
Photographer: Tonya Beaver (Hall of Fame!)
Videographer: Chris Box (very good)
Cake: Sweet by Holly cupcakes
Florist: Celebrations
Officiant: Msr Logan
Hair: Foiled Rotten (Carolyn)
Make-up: Estee Lauder
Entertainment: City Heat out of Atlanta (awesome!)
Transportation: cant remember
Wedding Dress: Love Jax Beach
Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Angelo
Groom and Groomsmen Wear: Mens Wearhouse

 Click to see their beautiful day in a slideshow!

How did you two meet? Were friends first, and then took it to another level
How did he propose? Got down on one knee at dinner at ruths chris. Whole staff knew about the big surprise. It was a hit
How did you decide on your color scheme, flowers, and cake? Talking with wedding party and vendors. Shopped around town and interviewed a lot of different places.

Where did you go for your honeymoon? Aruba

If you could give yourself any advice prior to the wedding, what would it be? Find a way to relax and enjoy it all no matter what. Have to rely on others to make things happen so you don ‘t get too overloaded.

How did you two meet? Matt and I met in high school. He pursued me for a little while before I actually gave him a chance. I just wanted to be sure he was genuine – but when I finally did, it was the best decision I ever made (God sure did have big plans for us)! I love that I got to marry my high school sweet heart!

How did he propose? Matt planned an entire day of surprises and adventures for my 22nd birthday. We finished the day with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants– 310 Lakeside in downtown Orlando – and a stroll around Lake Eola. When we reached “our spot” on Lake Eola, Matt asked me to marry him! It was perfect!

How did you decide on your color scheme, flowers, and cake? We picked our “southern charm” theme first – we decided to use Mason jars, burlap, etc. We picked Jade from David’s Bridal as our color. We thought it was beautiful and the jewel tone looked great on everyone! The soft pink flowers looked great next to jade and the neutral colors we used. We picked our Raspberry Elegance cake from Publix because it is our favorite – We usually celebrate birthdays with this specialty cake so it was no question! Publix was great about turning them into delicious cupcakes for us!

Where did you go for your honeymoon? We spent our wedding night at Castillo Real on St. Augustine Beach and our room was amazing. We then took a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale that stopped in Labadee, Haiti and Falmouth, Jamaica. It was absolutely beautiful and we had a blast!

If you could give yourself any advice prior to the wedding, what would it be? It would be to remember and focus on what is important. At the end of the day if a candle doesn’t get lit or someone stands in the wrong spot, it doesn’t matter. You still get to marry your best friend – and that’s what the whole day is about!

Congrats you two.  Your day was perfect, and I’m so thrilled to have gotten to document it for you. =)

xoxoxo

—-CLICK FOR SLIDESHOW!!

Rehearsal Dinner Location:  Joey Mozzarella in Orange Park, FL
Ceremony Location: Club Continental
Reception Location:  Club Continental
Caterer: Club Continental
Wedding Coordinator:  Patty Kelly, personal  friend
Photographer: THE Tonya Beaver Photography
Videographer: none
All Cakes:  Metro Custom Cakes
Florist:  Judy at Rose of Sharon European  Florist
Officiant: Jonathon Goldwire, Military Chaplain, personal friend
Hair: Debbie Gibson of Evelyn’s in Fleming Island
Make-up: Jessica Gibson
Entertainment: DJ ThunderCat
Transportation:  none
Wedding Dress: Essence of Australia from Becky’s Country Casual in Buena Vista, VA
Bridesmaids Dresses:  David’s Bridal in FL, GA and MI
Groom and Groomsmen Wear:  Men’s Warehouse

Before the Wedding …

How did you two meet?
We met after country concert at Mavericks in the Jacksonville Landing April 2008. We went on our first date the end of May to The Texas Roadhouse 

How did he propose?
He had planned to propose the morning we celebrated Christmas together December 18, 2010. I was so excited for him to get out of bed and walk in to the living room to see what was setting beside the tree (I got him a nice piece of luggage since he goes out of town so much). But all he wanted to do is take a shower and get ready so of course I thought he was trying to make me quit acting so giddy, but really he was planning the whole time how he was going to propose. At the point he finally met me out in the living room I was mad and decided I was going to make him wait and make breakfast! Haha. We finally opened gifts and I decided to walk next door to our neighbor’s house and deliver homemade goodies. When I opened the door into our foyer area he was there waiting on me with a look on his face like something bad just happened! I asked him what was wrong and he said nothing I have something for you and handed me a white box. I shook the box and the jewelry moved so I thought he had bought me another necklace. I thought to myself, well I guess he’s not proposing!! To my surprise when I opened it the ring was laying off to the side and I looked at him as he asked me to marry him

How did you decide on your color scheme, flowers, and cake?
I’ve always liked turquoise and decided to pair it with black and yellow flowers seemed to accent well . Jason was thrilled I didn’t make him wear any girly colors especially pink! The cake was easy after going to bridal shows and always tasting Publix super moist delicious cake! The flavor however was a surprise choice on both our parts. We loved the almond cream with vanilla custard. The grooms cake was also easy choice. It had to be a deer head cake. Jason said it would be the only thing in the wedding that 100% represented him! We just had to find someone talented enough to make it. Sugar Rush Confections did a fantastic job and exceeded our expectations.

After the Wedding …

Where did you go for your honeymoon? Sandals La Toc St. Lucia

If you could give yourself any advice prior to the wedding, what would it be?

It will all work out in the end but all the hard work was worth it and have no doubts!!

Meghan and Matt’s wedding day details and vendor feedback:
Rehearsal Dinner Location:  San Sebastian Winery
Ceremony Location:  River House-Would not recommend having ceremony here.
Reception Location:  River House-Beautiful location. Staff was not helpful on the day of the wedding and  we felt completely let down.
Caterer:  Moore Fine Foods   http://moorefinefoods.com/ Great price and everyone loved the food. Also provides bar service.
Wedding Coordinator: Tonya Beaver (haha I bet it felt like you were that day)
Photographer:  Tonya Beaver Photography  -The best decision we made was hiring Tonya. She really does go a step above in every part of the process. She  was so helpful on the wedding day. She’s fun and her pictures really do tell our story. We also really appreciated her taking the extra time after the reception to do more pictures in downtown St. Augustine.
Videographer: n/a
Cake:  Let them Eat Cake Avondale   http://asweetbakery.com/
Florist:  Southern Petals Jacksonville –Would not recommend as flowers were wrong and delivery was late.
Officiant:  Michele Donovan-Sensational Ceremonies   http://sensationalceremonies.com/
Hair: Kenzie Karim
Make-up:  Renee McCullers   www.simplymakeupartists.com
Entertainment:  Star DJ
Transportation:  n/a
Wedding Dress: Davids Bridal
Bridesmaids Dresses:  Davids Bridal
Groom and Groomsmen Wear:  Michaels Formalwear-Would not recommend as almost all the suits had stains and holes on them. On day of pick up colors of vests and pocket squares were wrong. Staff was difficult to work with.

Before the Wedding …

How did you two meet? We met in Jacksonville in 2003 through mutual friends one being our Best Man Phil.

How did he propose? Matt proposed on 11-19-10 at our home. He made cute homemade signs guiding me to the bedroom where he got down on one knee and proposed with the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. It left me speechless which is hard to do.

How did you decide on your color scheme, flowers, and cake? I love the color guava and I wanted the flowers to be bright and springy . Let them Eat Cake in Avondale helped us decide on the perfect cake and cupcake flavors/design.

After the Wedding …

Where did you go for your honeymoon? St. Lucia La Toc-Sandals
Would highly recommend using Shawnee Doster to help with arranging the honeymoon. http://www.allabouthoneymoons.com/

If you could give yourself any advice prior to the wedding, what would it be?  Elope or do a destination wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a rain plan.
Hire wedding day helpers who aren’t family and part of the wedding party.
Make sure to tell guests that they cannot wear jeans or clothes with holes to your wedding.

~CLICK to see Slideshow of Wedding~

Rehearsal Dinner Location: Meehan’s on Matanzas
Ceremony Location: The White Room
Reception Location: The White Room
Caterer: The White Room
Wedding Coordinator:
Photographer: Tonya Beaver
Videographer: Will Hammargren
Cake: Sugared Bliss
Florist: A Fantasy in Flowers
Officiant: Pastor Matt Hearn
Hair: Tiffony Simpson, Ony Salon
Make-up:
Entertainment: McGee Entertainment
Transportation: Old Towne Trolley & Country Carriages
Wedding Dress: Allure
Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal
Groom and Groomsmen Wear: Men’s Warehouse
Where did you go for your honeymoon? We are going on a five day cruise to the Bahamas.
If you could give yourself any advice prior to the wedding, what would it be? Enjoy being engaged and using the word fiancé. Enjoy the planning process and pay attention to all the small details. Be patient. Try to do as many DIY projects as you can, you’ll enjoy it that much more when you see it come together. Keep it simple and try to do things different than other brides. Enjoy time with your friends and family and let them help as much as they want. Make sure you plan your day the way you and your fiancé want it. Dance with each other on your wedding day. See each other before you walk down the aisle; it’s called “The First Look” – you’ll be glad you did. On your wedding day, stop as much as you can and just look around and enjoy the moment.

How did you two meet?

We met a couple of years ago through work. Kelly was a reporter/anchor for a local television station and Gene was the spokesperson for the local police department. After being friends for almost a year, something changed and we ended up falling in love. We like to say we were meant to be, especially since it took us a long time to find each other. Sometimes the wait is worth it, especially when the wait brought us together. It’s hard to find someone who believes in you, cares deeply about you, and would do anything if it meant making you happy. That’s us and we are blessed that this time our timing was perfect.

How did he propose?

It was a quite a night. We both love Darius Rucker and Gene bought tickets for my birthday to see him play in Orlando on February 24th, 2011. We were sitting there enjoying Darius when all of a sudden Gene grabbed my hand. He quickly slipped the ring on my finger and whispered “Will you marry me?” Of course I said yes!! Gene tried his best to get us back stage and to propose on stage, but I am so happy it turned out the way it did. The best part was despite being surrounded by thousands of people he and I were the only ones, at that very moment, who knew what was happening. The song playing was “Alright” and we knew from that moment everything would be alright.

How did you decide on your color scheme, flowers, and cake?

I knew from the beginning that I wanted a vintage themed wedding and different from the ordinary. Our venue, The White Room in St. Augustine, went perfect with our theme. It not only is in the heart of the nation’s oldest city, it has so much charm and definitely the vintage feel. I chose my colors, sky blue, blush and cream, because I thought they were romantic, elegant, bright, and charming. The colors together were so soothing, and when guests walked into the reception area, I wanted it to feel like they had just stepped into a tea party or garden. I knew that when I walked into the reception, I wanted it to feel airy and happy, not dark and drab. I know that is just how I felt.

Because my theme was vintage, roses were instanly my first choice. I knew I didn’t want the tight roses, so my florist used garden roses. We also used hydrangeas, baby’s breath and other smaller flowers. The bigger roses and hydrangeas were used in mason jars and teapots and teacups and we used the other smaller flowers to fill the unique bottles. I didn’t use real flowers in my bouquet because I had my cousin make my brooch bouquet. My bridesmaids carried single hydrangeas and the bourtineeres and corsages were made with roses and spray roses. I wanted the flowers to add another element and not be the focal point.

As for my cake, it was easy. I saw a picture in a magazine when we first started planning. I sent the picture to the cake shop and our cake looked just like the picture, but better! It was a simple cake with detailed flowers made of icing and a ribbon made of icing at the bottom. It looked so charming. We went with only a small one tier cake, because guests were treated to blueberry cobbler and french vanilla ice cream. The cake table was one of my favorite tables and it just stood out to me. All the flowers and decorations on the table complimented the cake just perfect. My husband and I were easy to please. We both like red velvet cake and cream cheese icing so we didn’t even need a tasting!!! We also used our homemade altar (my uncle made it), a window, as the backdrop for the cake table.

There wasn’t a moment where we weren’t picking at each other or laughing at something.  I can’t wait for their wedding coming up!

This is just one snipit from one of my recent sessions.  We do a lot of cutting up on sessions, and I just happened to point and click and actually caught a piece of it.  The groom is going to KILL me!!! I think this was his attempt at being sexy =)

But I really wanted a gorgeous pic of my sweet bride…and I got it =)